STUDY PROTOCOL a d d

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is the most common chronic condition in elite athletes [1]. Espe-cially endurance athletes who reach high ventilation in cold, dry air on a regular basis are susceptible to EIB [1,2]. A study using a canine model highlighted the negative effect of dry air on the airways as it leads to air-way inflammation and airway remodeling [3]. In humans this find has been confirmed in bronchial biopsies from competitive elite skiers, showing signs of eosinophilic and neutrophilic airway inflammation in the lungs, simi-lar to those seen in asthma [4]. In elite speed skaters intense training may cause tho-racic pain and cause EIB [5]. For this reason many speed skaters use a roll-collar in training to warm and humid-ify inhaled air. Beuther et al. already showed that warming the inhaled air can reduce EIB [6]. In competi-tion, due to aerodynamics, this method cannot be used. In an effort to reduce EIB and thoracic pain, inter-national professional speed skaters nowadays inhale ne- * Correspondence